Dog culling and replacement in an area endemic for visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil

Measures employed to control visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil have focused on vector control by residual insecticide spraying and diagnosis of infection with elimination of positive dogs. We describe dog culling and replacement in a Brazilian endemic area (the Alvorada District, Aracatuba, SP) in order to better understand dog population dynamics when elimination of the dog reservoir is adopted as the main control measure. From August 2002 to July 2004, 60.9% of the estimated dog population for the area was culled with a mean age of 34 months old. The presence of anti-Leishmania sp. antibodies was recorded for only 26.7% of the euthanized canines. Replacement was observed in 38.8% of the cases, some of them by 2 or more dogs and in a mean time of 4 months. Dogs were replaced mostly by puppies of both sexes with a mean age of 6.8 months. From August 2002 to April 2005 we were able to follow-up 116 of these dogs, during a mean time of 8.7 months. Canine visceral leishmaniasis seropositivity by ELISA was observed in 42.2% of the followed dogs, 30.6% of which were already positive at the first evaluation. By the end of the follow-up period 37% of the dogs were submitted to euthanasia, with a mean age of 18.3 months. In the studied CVL endemic area of Brazil, euthanasia and the subsequent replacement ratio were high, increasing the dog population turnover and leading to a younger population that might be more susceptible to a variety of other infectious diseases in addition to CVL. Dog culling as a control strategy for VL should be reassessed. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

First defection of the equine herpesvirus 1 neuropathogenic variant in Brazil

This report describes the first detection of an equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) neuropathogenic variant (G 2254/D 752) in Brazil from a case of fatal equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM) in a mare. The results of nucleotide sequencing of the EHV-1 ORF30 gene showed that two other Brazilian EHV-1 isolates from EHM cases are representatives of the non-neuropathogenic variant (A 2254/N 752), suggesting that other unidentified factors are probably also involved in the neuropathogenicity of EHV-1 in horses. These findings will contribute to the epidemiological knowledge of EHV-1 infection in Brazil.

Photojournalism in Brazil's favelas

In modern day Brazil, new media initiatives centred in local communities are attempting to change the face of mainstream ideas about favelas and their inhabitants. Two of these initiatives are Viva Favela and Imagens do Povo which are ideologically and physically supported by, respectively, Viva Rio and Observatório de Favelas (NGOs) that are based in Rio de Janeiro. ‘Favela’ is often translated simply as ‘slum’ or ‘shantytown’, but these terms connote negative characteristics such as shortage, poverty, and deprivation referring to favelas which end up stigmatizing these low income suburbs.

In-side-out : photojournalists from community and mainstream media organisations in Brazil's favelas

New media initiatives in Brazil's capital, Rio de Janeiro, are attempting to change mainstream ideas about favelas (poor districts) and their inhabitants. This thesis focuses on two of these initiatives that are being run by non-government organisations, Viva Favela and Imagens do Povo. This study takes an ethnographic and discursive approach to investigating and comparing two categories of professional photographers to determine how their working practices contribute to empowering the people living in Brazil's favelas. While mainstream photojournalists mainly cover human rights abuses in the favelas, community photographers challenge stereotypes by presenting images of the favelas' everyday life.

Evaluating the effects of international exposure from networks ties and mimetic pressure on clustered SMEs in Brazil

Research on the internationalisation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has received increasing attention in recent years due to the important role they play in today’s economic environment. Internationalisation prompting, or awareness, is an already recognised phase of the innovation-related stages model (I-model). This phase of awareness is closely related to the international exposure that a firm may experience during the occasion when it realises its competitors are already internationalising. Although the literature has discussed the various forms in which international exposure may happen, there has been limited attention given to the extent of its effect on the internationalisation of clustered SMEs that behave according to the I-Model. This study will assess the applicability of the I-Model in a dynamic, competitive and co-operative setting of an industrial cluster. It also evaluates the impact (if any) of international exposure derived from networks and the mimetic pressure that these firms may experience due to their embeddedness in an industrial cluster. Results from this study will indicate the effectiveness of the improved adapted model that will provide a richer insight for both academic researchers and policy makers.

The Evolution of Animal Welfare and the 3Rs in Brazil, China, and India

Increasingly, scientific collaborations and contracts cross country borders. The need for assurance that the quality of animal welfare and the caliber of animal research conducted are equivalent among research partners around the globe is of concern to the scientific and laboratory animal medicine communities, the general public, and other key stakeholders. Therefore, global harmonization of animal care and use standards and practices, with the welfare of the animals as a cornerstone, is essential. In the evolving global landscape of enhanced attention to animal welfare, a widely accepted path to achieving this goal is the successful integration of the 3Rs in animal care and use programs. Currently, awareness of the 3Rs, their implementation, and the resulting animal care and use standards and practices vary across countries. This variability has direct effects on the animals used in research and potentially the data generated and may also have secondary effects on the country's ability to be viewed as a global research partner. Here we review the status of implementation of the 3Rs worldwide and focus on 3 countries-Brazil, China and India-with increasing economic influence and an increasing footprint in the biomedical research enterprise.

Marine protected areas and artisanal fisheries in Brazil

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are being promoted around the world as an effective means of protecting marine and coastal resources and biodiversity. However, concerns have been raised about their impact on the livelihoods, culture and survival of small-scale and traditional fishing and coastal communities. Yet, as this study from Brazil shows, it is possible to use MPAs as a tool for livelihood-sensitive conservation. Based on detailed studies of three sites–the Peixe Lagoon National Park in Rio Grande do Sul, and the marine extractive reserves (MERs) of Mandira, São Paulo, and Corumbau, Bahia – the study shows how communities in Brazil have been able to use protected areas to safeguard their livelihoods against development and industrialization projects, like shrimp farms and tourist resorts. (68 pp.)

Travels in Brazil

Teve sua primeira edição publicada em Londres, em 1816. No ano seguinte, foi confeccionada uma segunda edição, que, em seguida, foi traduzida para o alemão e para o francês, esta sob o título Voyages dans la partie septentrionale du Brésil, depuis 1809 jusqu'en 1815..., em dois volumes. Muito bem recebida pela crítica, logo tornou-se um trabalho clássico sobre o Nordeste do Brasil.

A journey in Brazil

Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz foi professor e naturalista suíço naturalizado americano. Nasceu em Motiers, em 28 de maio de 1807, e morreu em Cambridge, em 1873. Estudou em Universidades suíças e alemãs, doutorando-se em Medicina, em Munique, em 1830. Em 1846, fixou-se nos Estados Unidos, onde lecionou em Harvard, e, em 1861, tornou-se cidadão americano. O estudo e a classificação de espécies de peixes brasileiros despertou-lhe o interesse pelo Brasil e , em 1865, chegou ao País à frente de uma expedição científica, que ficou conhecida como Thayer Expedition, custeada pelo milionário americano Nathanael Thayer e patrocinada pelo Imperador D. Pedro II. Permaneceu no País por quinze meses, explorando o Rio Amazonas e o interior cearense, período em que classificou 1.800 espécies da fauna ictiológica. Dessa viagem, resultou o livro A journey in Brasil. Seus estudos de Zoologia e Paleontologia, assim como os dos glaciares da Europa e da América, tornaram-se célebre. A obra científica de Agassiz é constituída por mais de quatrocentos volumes.

The Politics of Internet Regulation in Brazil : dynamics, factors, and actors in broadband policy

In May 2010, Brazil joined the roll of nations with a National Broadband Plan. The Decree nº 7,175/2010 had implemented a program that aimed to offer 30 million permanent broadband accesses until 2014 and established its main goals, such as accelerating economic and social development, promoting digital inclusion, reducing social and regional inequalities, promoting a generation of employment and income, and expanding electronic government services. However, the broadband access in Brazil is limited, expensive, and centralized in the main urban centres. Despite the fast growth in the past years due to mobile internet access, the market is still concentrated in the local incumbent operators that currently provide mobile services, landline services and Paid-TV services, resulting in a high level of market verticalization. The following dissertation investigates the constraint of broadband access development, the dynamics, the actors, and the factors that have delayed the roll-out of broadband services in Brazil. The study also promotes reflections about the challenge posed by the media, by costumers associations and by public opinion as critical observers of the policy making process. This research examines on the political influence towards regulation to determine the way policy will benefit interest groups. Many interviews have been conducted in order to understand the forces which have been acting in the telecommunications in Brazil after privatization, in 1998. This study aims to provide a better understanding of telecommunications regulatory process in Brazil, in order to help the country finding an adequate policy which can lead to the implementation of a broadband roll-out. The universal broadband access is the only way to benefit the whole society in Brazil with a satisfactory level of education and create more jobs and economic development regarding the plenty use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

Civil framework of the Internet : Law n°. 12.965, of April 23, 2014, which establishes the principles, guarantees, rights and duties for use of the Internet in Brazil

Traz atualizado o texto do Marco Civil Brasileiro da Internet, a Lei nº 12.965, de 23 de abril de 2014.